Jeff Woody: The Total Package

Courtesy: cyclones.com

Release: 08/15/2013

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AMES, Iowa - Jeff Woody won’t be a one-dimensional person in 2013-14. He definitely will have a lot on his plate.

Of course, football will be there. The running back will still be counted on to grind out the tough yards for the Cyclone offense, something he’s done effectively for three years. But there is more to Woody than just football.

Woody has always been at the top of the list for volunteering for community service projects throughout his tenure as a Cyclone. This season, Woody, who graduated in August and is currently taking graduate courses in pre-med, will take it a step further by serving as the co-president of ISU’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). He is one of the first football players to serve in that role in recent memory.

SAAC was established in 1994 to create a mechanism for ISU student-athletes to participate in the governance and decision-making processes of the athletics department. This includes actively encouraging the involvement of student-athletes in campus and community projects.

You won’t find a better leader than Woody.

“It’s wonderful honor for me,” Woody said. “Being in involved in SAAC is important to me. SAAC is an organization of student-athletes who want to help and assist people in the community, and that’s one of the things I love about it.”

Being co-president of SAAC is quite an honor and one Woody won’t take lightly. He earned the respect of his peers, who voted Woody into the position. Molly Parrott, Student-Athlete Affairs Coordinator at Iowa State, oversees SAAC and has witnessed Woody’s leadership qualities for several years.

“He takes community outreach very seriously,” Parrott said. “He knows the importance of giving back and he has already proven to be a great leader and a great representative of Iowa State University.”

A native of Pleasant Hill, Iowa, Woody has had his share of memorable moments as a Cyclone. None was more special than the game-winning touchdown in ISU’s 37-31 double overtime win over No. 2 Oklahoma State in 2011. Woody’s four-yard plunge will go down as one of the biggest plays in school history.

However, Woody will attest he took a bigger plunge over the summer, tying the knot with his sweetheart, Hannah. Woody now must balance married life, football, pre-med graduate work and SAAC presidential duties to his to-do list in his senior campaign. It will be quite the juggling act.

“Hannah is the best organizer that I’ve ever met,” Woody said. “Having her help plan and getting things going and getting a schedule set and sticking to it is the only way I will be able to survive. You can’t just slough your way through it if you want to be successful, so having a plan and sticking to it is so important.”

Right now, Woody is concerned about fall camp, which began on Aug. 5. The Senior Class Award and National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete Award candidate can’t wait to hit the turf with his teammates for one final season.

“It’s relieving and exciting at the same time,” said the Cyclone football co-captain. “It’s a relief because going into my fifth season, I know that we have the entire team bought into what the team is trying to do. We don’t have any guys trying to do their own thing. We don’t have those guys on this team and going forward that’s the best thing possible.”